Review: “Gingerbread” is a Fantastical Treat
By: Krysten Jackson
On writing her 2019 novel, Gingerbread, author Helen Oyeyemi says she was “influenced by the mysterious place gingerbread holds in classic children’s stories.” And indeed, the novel has a fairytale quality to it, given its talking dolls, four-pupiled children, metaphorical witches, and moral undertones.
The plot follows a young teacher named Harriet as she recounts her upbringing and eventual exit from the mysterious land of Druhástrana to her daughter, Perdita. Originally a farm girl from a family known for its addictive gingerbread, Harriet moves with the recipe to the center of her home country and finally to London, where she resides at present. Along the way, she experiences the hardships of life—financial, exploitative, romantic, and so on.
Gingerbread’s written in a style that teeters between dream-like wonder to stream-of-consciousness rambling. Of note is the author’s decision to frame the bulk of the novel as an improvised bedtime story. The magical realism elements make her retelling feel like a grungier Mother Goose or more realistic Brother’s Grimm. The long tangents and loads of exposition give the sense that the narrator wanted no detail spared. It’s a quality of the novel that makes it feel very bittersweet, fitting of its title.
The most successful technique Oyeyemi uses is by far how she subtly weaves her theming throughout the narrative. What do we pass on to our children, to our nation? Our ideas about money? Our ideas of self-worth? What secrets should and shouldn’t we hide, and why? Oyeyemi compounds all of this into her use of the titular gingerbread, a family recipe taught to Harriet by her mother. Of note is that her mother does not like it, her daughter cannot eat it, and what this means for their relationships on a broader level.
All in all, Gingerbread is defined by its uniqueness. It’s quirky characters and winding narrative may be off-putting to some, but a nice, offbeat treat for others. You’ll have to see for yourself which group you fall into.
Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi
2019. Random House Large Print: 435 pages. Paperback $ 18.47
Krysten Jackson is a Chicago-based writer and recent graduate of Northwestern University. When she's not reading, she spends most of her time thinking about weird language quirks. You can keep up with her activities on Twitter @applekrys.
